About

The Samsun Urban Studies and Conservation Research Group is an interdisciplinary research group that conducts conservation-oriented, research-based studies in the fields of urban design, urban and regional planning, and architecture, with a specific focus on Samsun. The group adopts a holistic approach to the conservation and reinterpretation of cultural heritage, situated within the historical continuity, transformation dynamics, and social dimensions of urban spaces.

Studying across a broad spectrum of fields, the group’s work encompasses cultural heritage, urban conservation, architecture, urban design, urban research, urban memory and identity, participatory planning, inclusive design and planning, and the multidisciplinary humanities. Within this framework, urban spaces are understood not merely as physical constructs but as dynamic entities that derive meaning through social relations, forms of belonging, and collective memory.

The group’s core conceptual framework is structured around key notions such as the production of space, placemaking/emplacement, identity, and belonging. This conceptual approach seeks to analyze the processes through which urban spaces are transformed into “places,” examining user experiences, everyday practices, and socio-spatial interactions. Accordingly, the group examines urban culture, urban memory, and the formation of urban identity through a multi-layered and critical perspective.

Methodologically, the group employs a mixed-methods approach that integrates quantitative and qualitative techniques, including digital mapping, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), participatory mapping, fieldwork, and archival research. This framework enables the development of both data-driven and participatory, inclusive production processes in urban conservation and cultural heritage. Notably, participatory design and planning practices that actively integrate the knowledge and experiences of local stakeholders constitute a central axis of the group’s work.

The group aims to make its generated data and analyses accessible through digital platforms, thereby contributing to heightened public awareness of cultural heritage, urban conservation, and urban memory. In this context, open data principles, digital archiving, and visualization tools are systematically utilized.